3 local artists submit work to university exhibit

Wednesday

Mar 27, 2013 at 12:07 PMMar 27, 2013 at 12:14 PM

Lois Westermeyer

The work of three area artists is currently on display in North Dakota, as part of a university exhibit.Carol Eacret-Simmons, a native of Pontiac, is director of Dickinson State University Art Gallery, and she thought of works by hometown artists when planning the “Women’s Voices/Journeys” exhibit.“We put together a ‘Women’s Voices’ exhibit in conjunction with women’s voices month at DSU. The theme of the exhibit is journeys and I thought some strong pieces by Pontiac area artists, who I’ve known for many years, would fit in perfectly,” Eacret-Simmons said.She contacted joanE Lipinski of Pontiac, Barb Hughes-Cook of Chenoa and Sheila Asbellallen of Normal to contribute to the exhibit, which runs through the end of March.All three women volunteer time at the Pontiac Community Arts Center and all sent pieces for the DSU exhibit.The pieces in this gallery depict the personal, historical, physical or imaginary journeys of women, the director said. A wide variety of media used to create the artworks in this show include a three-dimensional collage of purses and their contents created in handmade paper, photography, paintings, and a gourd with drawing done using a wood-burning tool.“Every year in March is women’s voices month and the three local artists have strong voices and their pieces are strong,” Eacret-Simmons explained. “joanE uses papier mache to create a ‘her-story’ with the purses and Barb does woodburning and painting on gourds. She has a 100-year-old gourd that her grandmother had. That’s quite a journey in itself.”The gallery director also noted that Asbellallen submitted an acrylic painting where the subjects are taking a figurative, imaginative journey. “Sheila was my instructor at Heartland Community College. Her painting has such a joyful feel. It brings joy and hopefulness as her figures appear to be flying or dancing.”Eacret-Simmons received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in fine arts from Illinois State University.“I’ve known Barb a long time, since we were kids really. I just love her stuff. I’ve seen joanE’s work many times at the Art Center, which I love to visit whenever I come back. And Sheila went from being my instructor to being a good friend. I’m very proud of our exhibit here and the contributions from back home.”The DSU Art Gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Gallery support comes from Dickinson State University, private donations and the North Dakota Council on the Arts.